China gold mine blast: rescue of 21 people trapped will take at least two more weeks, official says
- Obstacles are ‘just too huge, which means we need a least another 15 days or even more to reach the miners’, according to deputy head of the local publicity department
- Blast at the Hushan mine in Shandong province sealed 22 workers hundreds of metres underground on January 10
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The increasingly desperate attempt to save 21 workers has been further complicated by a massive blockage that has delayed drilling efforts, according to state media.
“The obstacles are just too huge, which means we need a least another 15 days or even more to reach the miners,” said Gong Haitao, deputy head of the local publicity department, according to state broadcaster CCTV.
The debris standing in the way weighed about 70 tonnes, Gong said.
The blast at the Hushan mine in Shandong province sealed 22 workers hundreds of metres underground on January 10.
A 12th miner is believed to be trapped on his own, 100 metres further down in rising waters.
For the other 10 miners, hopes are dwindling as they have not been heard from since the explosion.
To extract the group, rescuers are trying to widen one of the shafts to eventually allow the workers to be brought up to the surface.
But progress has been slow because they are drilling through granite, according to officials.
State television footage on Friday showed large piles of unearthed debris at the rescue site, and a drill boring down through a deep shaft.
One worker confirmed dead in Chinese gold mine blast
Xinhua reported that the miners had been trying to help search for the missing group using laser pointers and loudspeakers, but had received no reply.
Rescuers have lowered life detectors and nutrient solutions into other sections of the mine as well, without response.
Mining accidents are common in China, where the industry has a poor safety record and regulations are often weakly enforced.
